Training Camp Cuts: 10/07/22
It’s hockey time! The San Jose Sharks and Nashville Predators will play regular season hockey this afternoon from Czechia, while the rest of the league finishes up their preseason schedule.
With the North American start just a few days away, teams will be cutting down their rosters to a final 23-man group. Importantly, some of these will be reversed as soon as the season begins and are just because of salary cap implications.
Here are today’s cuts:
Chicago Blackhawks (via team release)
F Colton Dach (to Kelowna, WHL)
G Mitchell Weeks (released from ATO)
Edmonton Oilers (via team release)
F Mattias Janmark (to Bakersfield, AHL)*
D Dmitri Samorukov (to Bakersfield, AHL)*
Los Angeles Kings (via team release)
F Lias Andersson (to Ontario, AHL)
F T.J. Tynan (to Ontario, AHL)
D Jordan Spence (to Ontario, AHL)
D Tobias Bjornfot (to Ontario, AHL)
G David Hrenak (to Ontario, AHL)
F Jacob Doty (released from PTO)
Minnesota Wild (via team release)
F Steven Fogarty (to Iowa, AHL)*
New Jersey Devils (via team release)
F Graeme Clarke (to Utica, AHL)
F Nolan Foote (to Utica, AHL)
F Brian Halonen (to Utica, AHL)
F Aarne Talvitie (to Utica, AHL)
D Reilly Walsh (to Utica, AHL)
D Nikita Okhotiuk (to Utica, AHL)
G Nico Daws (to Utica, AHL)
D Akira Schmid (to Utica, AHL)
F Brian Pinho (to Utica, AHL)*
New York Rangers (via team release)
F Jonny Brodzinski (to Hartford, AHL)
Philadelphia Flyers (via Olivia Reiner, Philadelphia Inquirer)
D Kevin Connauton (to Lehigh Valley, AHL)*
G Troy Grosenick (to Lehigh Valley, AHL)*
St. Louis Blues (via team release)
F Will Bitten (to Springfield, AHL)
F Mathias Laferriere (to Springfield, AHL)
F Hugh McGing (to Springfield, AHL)
D Matthew Kessel (to Springfield, AHL)
D Brady Lyle (to Springfield, AHL)
D Steven Santini (to Springfield, AHL)
D Tyler Tucker (to Springfield, AHL)
G Joel Hofer (to Springfield, AHL)
F Tyler Pitlick (released from PTO)
Tampa Bay Lightning (via team release)
D Nick Perbix (to Syracuse, AHL)
Winnipeg Jets (via team release)
F Brad Lambert (to Manitoba, AHL)
D Johnathan Kovacevic (to Manitoba, AHL)*
*Pending waivers
This page will be updated throughout the day
Buffalo Sabres Recall Sean Malone
The Buffalo Sabres are going with a mix of youth and experience for tonight’s preseason game against the Pittsburgh Penguins. Players like Dylan Cozens, Peyton Krebs, and Jack Quinn are all in the lineup, but so are Zemgus Girgensons and Alex Tuch. Another veteran name that will be joining the group is minor league forward Sean Malone, who has been recalled to appear in tonight’s match after being cut earlier this month.
Malone, 27, has spent nearly his entire professional career with the hometown organization, as the Buffalo native was drafted by the Sabres in 2013 and has played parts of five seasons with the club. In 2020-21 he tried to go a different way by joining the Nashville Predators but after seeing just a single NHL appearance with them, came back to play for Rochester in 2021-22.
It’s good that he did, as the Americans enjoyed a 20-goal, 37-point campaign from Malone, in just 39 regular season appearances. He was good in the playoffs too with seven points in ten games, and should be a leader for the club this season. While he likely won’t play much in the NHL, getting him into a preseason match is a nice reward for the minor league star, and will get him used to the group in case he needs to fill in at any point this year.
Malone will likely be sent back to the minors in the coming days, as this is Buffalo’s final preseason match.
Minor Transactions: 10/06/22
The NHL regular season begins tomorrow with the San Jose Sharks taking on the Nashville Predators. Many teams are still making their final roster preparations, and as the roster picture in the NHL becomes more clear, teams across the hockey world are also making moves. Here we’ll recap the day’s notable transactions from minor leagues or overseas leagues.
- The ECHL’s South Carolina Stingrays announced today that they’ve signed three young players who have either recently turned pro or are set to make their professional debuts this season. The players are as follows: forwards Anthony Del Gaizo and Sean Gulka, and defenseman Kylor Wall. Del Gaizo, 24, is the brother of Nashville Predators prospect Marc Del Gaizo and is also an NCAA champion and former USHL Player of the Year. Gulka, 22, is an import from the WHL’s Victoria Royals, and Wall, 25, got a taste of professional action last year for the Fort Wayne Komets.
- Forward Michael Pelech, the older brother of New York Islanders star defenseman Adam Pelech, signed a contract with the ECHL’s Atlanta Gladiators. Pelech, 33, is a minor league veteran with over 800 games of ECHL experience under his belt. Pelech played for the Gladiators last season and notched 36 points in 46 games.
- The ECHL’s Orlando Solar Bears announced today that they’ve signed forward Tristin Langan to a one-year deal. Langan, 23, scored the second-most points of any WHL player in 2018-19, scoring 53 goals and 113 points for the Moose Jaw Warriors. Langan has proven to be an elite ECHL scorer with 147 points in 168 career games at that level. Langan has spent his entire ECHL career with the Solar Bears and will return there hoping to earn a chance with an AHL club.
- After spending two games with Slovakian club Nove Zamsky Mikron HC and scoring one goal, veteran forward Jay Dickman has decided to head back to North America. The forward signed a one-year deal with the ECHL’s Wichita Thunder, the team he spent the last two seasons with. Dickman, 29, scored 58 points in 65 games last season and should definitely help the Thunder’s offensive attack as they look to rebound after a difficult 2021-22 season.
Snapshots: Stepan, Foley, Zegras
Not every player who signs a PTO with a team for the preseason turns that PTO into a full contract offer, but it seems we can count Derek Stepan as one of this year’s players who managed to do just that. Don Waddell told the media today, including Chip Alexander of the Raleigh News & Observer, that he “thinks” Stepan will be signed to a full contract, and that the hold-up on a deal as of right now is just a matter of the team “figuring out the roster” and salary cap for the start of the regular season.
Stepan, 32, is a veteran of over 800 NHL games and spent last season with the Hurricanes. In 58 games for Carolina, he scored 19 points and is likely being signed to function as a depth center in case any member of their current center corps faces injury issues. While Stepan isn’t the reliable 55-point top-six center he once was, he’s a capable veteran who provides the Hurricanes with the sort of depth contending clubs need to survive the rigors of the NHL season.
Now, for some other notes from across the NHL:
- Vegas Golden Knights owner Bill Foley is generally regarded as one of the more hands-on team governors in the sport, and under his watch the Golden Knights have experienced a period of success that is unprecedented for an expansion franchise. As of today, Foley has reportedly expanded his sports ownership portfolio. As reported by Matt Slater and Ahmed Shooble of The Athletic, Foley has entered into a verbal agreement to purchase a majority stake in AFC Bournemouth, a club participating in the Premier League, the top level of the English soccer pyramid. While the implications of this move on the Golden Knights are not immediately clear, it is fair to wonder if acquiring Bournemouth will lead Foley to be less extensively involved in the Golden Knights’ day-to-day operations.
- Anaheim Ducks superstar forward Trevor Zegras has been injured in recent days thanks to an upper-body injury. Today, Ducks head coach Dallas Eakins told NHL Network Radio on Sirius XM that Zegras is expected to join the team for a full practice tomorrow. Zegras, who scored 61 points in 75 games, is a crucial part of the Ducks’ offense and getting him back to full health will be important if the team wants to see success early in the 2022-23 campaign.
Injury Notes: Byron, Keller, Red Wings
While injuries limited Montreal Canadiens forward Paul Byron to just 27 games played last season, many hoped that a summer of rest and recovery would allow the two-time 20-goal scorer to return to the ice for the Canadiens’ 2022-23 campaign. Now, though, it seems those hopes may have been a bit too optimistic. As reported by The Athletic’s Marc Antoine Godin, (subscription link) Byron is currently dealing with “ongoing problems” in his left hip, problems that not only have kept him from skating but have also “started to cloud” Byron’s playing future. Per Godin, Byron underwent surgery in order to fix chronic hip pain, and despite his rehab going well for much of this summer he reached an additional step of the process that he “didn’t respond well” to, resulting in a major setback in his road to recovery.
According to the report, Byron is still dealing with “lingering inflammation” in his hip, and it’s gotten to a point where it could affect the rest of his career. Canadiens GM Kent Hughes told The Athletic that if Byron’s health fails to improve, he will be placed on long-term injured reserve. In the immediate term, what this means for the Canadiens is they will gain additional breathing room under the cap, and Byron will join Carey Price on the team’s LTIR list. In the long term, what this means for Byron is that he may not be able to play again if this condition fails to improve. While this is definitely an unwelcome development for Byron, he can look back at his time in Montreal with great pride, as he became a useful scoring winger and one of the better waiver claims in recent NHL history.
Now, for some other injury updates from across the NHL:
- Arizona Coyotes forward Clayton Keller was in the midst of a breakout campaign in 2021-22 before his season abruptly ended when he underwent surgery to repair a broken leg. Now, though, Keller looks ready to pick up where he left off. Coyotes GM Bill Armstrong said (via Craig Morgan of PHNX Sports) that Keller is expected to play his first preseason game tomorrow and has been practicing with the team as well. The Coyotes aren’t expected to be a contender this season, but if they want to play meaningful hockey for as long as possible getting Keller back to full speed should be a top priority.
- The Detroit Red Wings also issued an injury update today, theirs regarding forwards Andrew Copp and Oskar Sundqvist. As reported by Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press, Red Wings head coach Derek Lalonde said today that he expects Copp to be ready for the start of the regular season, and is “optimistic” that Sundqvist will be ready then as well. Copp has been practicing with the team, while Sundqvist has been injured since the beginning of camp.
Mikhail Berdin To Spend 2022-23 In KHL
It was interesting, earlier this week, when the Winnipeg Jets recalled Arvid Holm from the minor leagues to serve as an extra goaltender. That third-string spot would have presumably gone to Mikhail Berdin under normal circumstances but he was away from the team.
Now, the Jets have explained where Berdin is. In a release, the team has indicated that per a recommendation from the NHL/NHLPA Substance Abuse and Behavioral Health Program, the young goaltender will not be with the organization this season. His agent Dan Milstein tweets that Berdin will return to Russia to be closer to his family and will play in the KHL this season.
The Jets will not incur a cap charge and Berdin will not be paid by the team. Instead, he will be allowed to sign a one-year deal in the KHL for this season. His NHL rights will stay with Winnipeg for the time being.
Now 24, Berdin was a sixth-round pick of the Jets back in 2016 and has been away from Russia for years. He spent two full seasons in the USHL following his draft, and has been in the minor league system for the past four. There was a short 14-game stint with St. Petersburg SKA in 2020-21 when the AHL season was postponed, but beyond that, he has been competing in North America for six years.
Hopefully, whatever has caused him to need this split from the organization will be resolved and he can continue his pro career here in the future. The young netminder has a lot of upside and posted a .902 save percentage in 32 games with the Manitoba Moose last season.
Interestingly, because of his age and contract status, Berdin should actually qualify for Group VI unrestricted free agency next summer. That means the two sides could be parting ways permanently, though since this is a special circumstance there could be other factors at play. Even if he does qualify for UFA status, the Jets would be free to sign him to another contract next offseason.
Jake Virtanen Released From PTO
The Edmonton Oilers have released Jake Virtanen from his professional tryout contract, according to Darren Dreger of TSN.
Now 26, Virtanen hasn’t played in the NHL since being put on leave by the Vancouver Canucks in 2021 after allegations of sexual assault were raised. He was eventually bought out by the team in the offseason and spent 2021-22 in the KHL, scoring nine goals and 16 points in 36 games.
After being found not guilty earlier this summer, Virtanen is attempting an NHL comeback, but he’ll have to do it somewhere other than Edmonton now that his PTO has been terminated. The sixth-overall pick from 2014 is a free agent again and it is unclear what kind of other opportunities await him in North America.
While a year away from the league certainly didn’t help things, Virtanen was already struggling to keep a spot in an NHL lineup. In 2020-21 he had just five goals in 38 games (zero assists) and has never been a consistent offensive threat.
His size and skating ability suggest he could be an effective player, but there have been too many games where his presence has been absent. To change that perception and keep his career afloat, he may have to work his way back up from the minor leagues, especially given how close it is to the regular season without a contract in hand.
Waivers: 10/06/22
Another day, another set of players on waivers as the regular season approaches. Everyone from yesterday cleared, while today’s group looks like this:
Boston Bruins
Vinni Lettieri
Joona Koppanen
Dan Renouf
Keith Kinkaid
Colorado Avalanche
Edmonton Oilers
Calvin Pickard
Slater Koekkoek
Los Angeles Kings
New York Rangers
Sonny Milano, Cody Eakin Released From PTOs
One of the most interesting cases of the offseason was Sonny Milano, an offensive-minded player that scored 14 goals and 34 points in 66 games last season. After failing to land a deal in the early part of free agency, Milano signed a PTO with the Calgary Flames.
Today, both Milano and fellow PTO Cody Eakin have been released from those tryouts, putting them both on the open market with just a few days to go before the regular season schedule begins.
It’s already a numbers game in Calgary, where they have several players who already may be exposed to the waiver wire in the next few days. After claiming Radim Zohorna recently, a player that fits much better than Milano in the bottom six, these releases seemed inevitable.
There’s no one who doubts Milano’s skill, it’s just his consistency that comes into question. Is the player who found instant chemistry with Trevor Zegras in Anaheim and scored 29 points through his first 39 games, or the one who had just five in his last 27. There have been far too many of those disappearing acts throughout his career for a team to offer a multi-year deal, and now he hasn’t even been able to land a one-year contract as a free agent.
Eakin, meanwhile, is the kind of player that could have fit into Calgary’s fourth-line mix but there are already too many other options that work in that spot. Had an injury or two happened, it might have resulted in a contract for the 31-year-old, but now he’ll have to try and find a new place to continue his 701-game NHL career.
Edmonton Oilers Hire Steve Staios
The Edmonton Oilers have nabbed one of junior hockey’s most successful executives, hiring former NHL defenseman Steve Staios as a special advisor to the hockey operations staff. Staios will report to general manager Ken Holland and work closely with the team’s prospects.
Notably, the announcement also ends Staios’ time with the Hamilton Bulldogs of the OHL, a team he led to the league championship earlier this year. He joined the Bulldogs in 2016 after spending several years in the Toronto Maple Leafs player development department, a role that followed his long playing career.
That playing career included parts of eight seasons in Edmonton, where he played 573 regular season games for the Oilers, more than half of his career total. The physical defenseman racked up 743 penalty minutes and 146 points during those games and wore an “A” as alternate captain at times. In 2011-12, Staios eclipsed the 1,000-game mark for his career while playing in his final season with the New York Islanders, before retiring at the age of 38.
As general manager and president of the Bulldogs, he twice took home the OHL Championship, while also winning the GM of the Year award this past season. Many of the top contributors to the recent Hamilton squad were undrafted talents that were helped along and put in prime positions for success, something that the Oilers could certainly use some of as they continue to try and surround Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl with depth.
If Staios can help set up a pipeline of junior talent to the Oilers, his presence will certainly be worth it.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images